Maintainers Chat: April 7 - 13
 

Good morning! :coffee: DH and I are back to reality after spending a few lovely, sunny days in Florida. :sunny: We were lucky and the only rain came during the night. It was so good to feel warm! And see sun!

The only downside was the coffee situation, lame as that sounds. OK, I admit that I'm a coffee addict! There wasn't a coffeemaker in the room but on weekdays they had coffee in the lobby from 5:00 - 7:00 am. A bit of a pain because I had to get dressed to get coffee, but whatever. But on weekends, I discovered that there's no lobby coffee. Like no one drinks coffee (or wakes up early) on weekends? A coffeeshop supposedly opened at 6:30 am, though it was more like 7:00 am, and charged $3 per cup. :eek: But fortunately, that was the only downside to the trip -- everything else was wonderful (and caloric!)

My scale is up almost five pounds :fr: but I think (hope) it's mostly water weight because my legs are swollen (I was stupid and didn't wear my support stockings on the flight home). But right now my red line is so far in the distance that it's scary. We'll see what a few days of on-plan eating can do. My meals are planned for the day and I'll be heading out to the gym as soon as it opens.

I've got to go back and catch up on all of last week's happenings so I'll check back later. :)

Good Morning all! I'm back too after a spring break. I won't even be stepping on the scale until I've been on plan a few days because last week I was definitely off!:yikes: Today is my oldest dd's 16th birthday but we celebrated over the weekend so no cake to tempt me.

Meg-I'm right there with you about coffee.:coffee2: It is my vice of choice.

I have no idea what went on last week so if you need a hug or a prayer consider it done.:hug: If it was good here's a cheer.:carrot:

Hi everybody.

I have been scarce. Super busy.

Did some reading on last weeks thread though.

Gosh, Lily, you have been through the ringer. I'm glad to hear your numbers are better. And your daughter, how's she doing? You don't ever have it easy do you? :hug:

Meg, your trip sounds lovely. I'm sure this week you will be right back to things and racing towards your red line.

joy, happy 16th to your DD. That's the age of my youngest daughter.

I am above my red line as well, by just over a pound. I had a great week, but a lousy, lousy END to Saturday night. LOUSY. Yesterday was great though. Hopefully the same will hold true for the remainder of the week. Another busy week ahead. I need some time to come up for air. Maybe next week, ummm, no that one will be even busier. *sigh*

I hope you all have a stupendous week. Mostly just be well. :smug:

Meg - I was also in Florida for a couple of days and wow, I forget how hot it can be! I love my morning coffee too and thankfully found plenty of Starbucks in the neighbourhood. I think I passed about a half dozen and I like their coffee so I was good.

I was also MIA last week. I'm just so busy at work and I've been travelling a bit so I'm trying to be super good food-wise when I'm home since I just suck on vacation! ;) I like to enjoy and try different things when I'm away. I have managed to hover around the redline but, like a few others here, I'm avoiding the scale this Monday morning and probably for a few more days.

Sorry I can't respond to all the posts from last week, I'm just trying to stay awake and get my day going, with my coffee by my side.

Have a great day everyone and I'll try to catch up later.

:D

Morning everyone. :coffee2:

I too feel strongly about coffee. The situation hotels is always inadequate! Glad you had a nice holiday though Meg! Some hot weather sounds like just the thing!

I'm still 5lb above goal but I'm starting to not be bothered by it. I've put on some fat but I'm almost positive that I've added muscle too. I'm definitely a lot smaller now than I was the last time I was this weight. I'm going to have a body fat test this week and see where I am with everything. My plan is to just keep eating maintenance calories, try to keep them as clean as I can and to keep exercising. My body will decide what it wants to do. My clothes all fit and I look good so I've decided not to worry about it anymore.

Have a great week everyone!

Baffled , congratulations on stopping smoking!

Good morning, everyone! :wave:

I know I haven't been around -- I lurk and try to keep up, but it's almost impossible these days.

I'm still gaining weight pretty steadily with the pregnancy, but I feel pretty good for the most part. I haven't walked as much lately and I can't tell you the last time I did my prenatal yoga, so I need to do better with that.

In better news, I got the approval for my year's leave of absence next school year, which means I get to stay home with my baby for his first year and I'll still have a job to come back to. Woohoo! It will certainly be tough financially, but my husband and I believe we can make it for one year on his salary as long as I can do a few piano lessons and some tutoring here and there. We're just going to have to cut back on some things. It's not like we'll have much time to do extra stuff anyway, with a newborn! I'm mostly just worried about affording diapers and other baby stuff I don't even know about yet!! I'm pretty excited, though. Just about ten more weeks of school and I'll be off until August 09. That alone is enough for me to do a little dance! :carrot:

It sounds like most of you are doing well with maintaining, as you always do! A pound or two above your red line is not a big deal, and it sounds like most of you are mentally ok with that too, which is a good thing. I'm excited about getting back to weight loss when I've had the baby, because I honestly enjoy that process -- setting goals and reaching them, watching my body change (for the better, that is), fitting into better clothes, etc. It's crazy that I was only in size 8s for about 5 minutes before getting knocked up! :lol:

Have a good Monday, everyone!

Hellllooooo......is that my red line over there in the distant horizon:(

Meg I am with you on the coffee front - a day without coffee is like a day without sunshine.

I am still not 100% active yet after breaking my leg - and it is really starting to show on my waistline. I have been trying to stick to 1400 cal/day and have been averaging high 1500's - to me scientifically I believe I should maintain or even drop a few at that level, but noooo, I gain!

Probably not being 100% accurate with my calorie tracking, but still.
I am really looking forward to running or anything again to get the extra pds off.

Hello to everyone - it will take me awhile to catch up.
Have a great monday.

-Susan

Good morning everyone! My red line is waaaay in the distance too. My weight has really shot up the past few days, so I am suspecting water retention. The good news is that despite the water weight and the restriction to the recumbent bike, I pulled out a size 6 skirt my mom gave me for xmas (which I couldn't fit into then) and not only did it fit, it was loose! So at least I'm making *some* improvement. My jeans are still tight though, if not as much as they were at the beginning of the year.

I have a couple confessions to make. One is that I didn't go to the gym as often as I should have last week. The other, well, remember that deal I made with myself that if I really wanted that cookie, I could go and buy it the next day? I just happened to be driving around, really hungry, right next to Panera Bread, and . . . I bought the cookie and ate it. Tasty, but in retrospect definitely not worth 400 calories. :o

Lily - glad to hear you are feeling better! I hope the doctors will have some answers for your DD soon. :hug:

Meg - LOL about the coffee! I guess if you don't have to go to work, you don't need coffee??

LisaMarie - glad to hear your pregnancy is going well. Congrats on getting the leave of absence!

Megan - boo for working on the weekend, did it go okay? And I agree, you'll show your friend and BF that you can do it! :drill: :sumo: :lifter:

We had our monthly cooking meetup last night, and I will admit to having overindulged somewhat, although not nearly as much as I could have. It was "bring whatever appetizer or snack you want" night, and I tried one of everything. I only took a second piece of three of the items, which were relatively small (but who knows what was in them?). No idea how to estimate calories for that meal. My contribution was Japanese cream buns -- they're a sweet bread dough filled with custard. Making them was definitely a learning experience -- first I spent about 4 hours translating the recipe from Japanese to English! Then I had to make two attempts at the custard because apparently I suck at thickening things with flour. Then they didn't brown right in the oven! I think I needed an egg wash and a convection oven. Despite all that, they were a big hit and tasted almost like the ones I've had from Japanese bakeries. DH brought a cooking light recipe I'd picked out -- fresh ricotta cheese mixed with black pepper, spread on whole wheat peasant bread toast, drizzled with honey, and topped with fresh raspberries. Mmmmmm!

We accidentally bought too much fresh ricotta (it was expensive, too!) so now I need to figure out what to do with it so that we don't eat too much of it. I am contemplating either making a dessert with it and taking it to work or making stuffed shells and inviting the in-laws over for dinner. Agh, just thinking about it makes me hungry! Usually I eat breakfast around 7:45, but this morning I had to get my car serviced at 7:30 so I ate at 6:45, and now I am sooooo ready for lunch but I have an hour to go!

:wave: Hi everyone I missed!

I can't say that I see my redline...see, in my mind the red line is about 138, but that's based on my goal of 133-135. Right now, I'm well over that, BUT I'm down 3 pounds since last week's disaster (I'm sure the back injury and lack of exercise and TOM caused a water weight gain). I wish I could even say I'm at ticker weight, but I'm not. I'm getting close, though. I actually hit 150 which I haven't seen for 2 years or more. But this was an amazing weekend and I'm dropping which gives me added incentive to stay on plan.

My back is better! I ran Saturday and walked on Sunday. We went out to lunch Sunday and I didn't overeat and the rest of the weekend was full of light meals. I feel so much better! My best friend is in town and we might get together tonight to watch the final college basketball game. We'll also go out to dinner later this week before she has to head home.

Hi everyone,

I'm finally feeling better. I slept last night without waking with a wracking , wet cough. My diuretics are definitely working and my weight is cooperating nicely again. Today marks 1 week of eating perfectly on plan. My capris are loose today and I had to put a belt on to keep them up. I'm still 1 lb. above my redline. Weigh-in again will be next Saturday morning.

I spent the day yesterday removing all the carpet, padding and tack board from my hallway. It's now ready to install the wood laminate after DH gets home tomorrow.

Meg, I'm with you on the coffee. Gotta have it as soon as I wake up.

LisaMarie, That is great that you get a whole year off with the new baby. That time will be so special and so worth it even if money will be tighter.

joyofsix, Happy 16th to your DD. My DD will be 16 next month.

rockinrobin, I know you'll do fantastic at getting back below your red line. I only wish I could do as well as you do. But, isn't it a great feeling when we reel ourselves back in and see the lbs. start dropping again. Even this past week of being on plan has made me feel so much better about my situation. I know that with my health problems there will be times like I've just encountered. But, I refuse to give up on my quest to keep my weight in the "normal" range.

Allison, glad to hear that your back is better.

I forgot to answer to the coffee issue. I finally gave in and subscribed to Gevalia coffee. My sister had sent me a gift basket of Gevalia goodies for Christmas and I got hooked on their coffee. Somehow their coffee just tastes better (to me anyway). It's more expensive but I haven't had a bad pot yet. Since I signed up, I got a free programmable 12 cup coffee maker, but I didn't even take it out of the box. It will go in our motor home next time we get it out of storage--my coffee maker in there is an el-cheapo thing that spills when you pour and often stops brewing mid-pot.

Well, I'm back from Chicago and all I can say is "the best laid plans..." I did great on my travel day, pretty good at the conference (except for one night out at a Greek restaurant but the food was worth the calorie splurge), and then I got to my parents house. I'm sorry to report that the friendship bread won. :sorry: And that wasn't even the worst of it. :o

The good news is that this morning I was only .5 lbs above my redline and I know at least some of it is water. But the bad news is that I expect I'm not yet seeing the full amount of damage and that the the scale is going to creep upwards a bit before it starts heading in the other direction. It usually takes me a week to drop all the water I retain from travel, so I've decided to keep my calories at 1400-1500 until next Monday, then I'll see where I'm at. To be honest, even if I am still up a few lbs, I'm not sure I care about losing them. As it is, my suit (which I really only got a few wears out of) was hanging off me and clearly has to go in the thrift store pile.

And--horrors of horrors--I left my iPod at my parent's house :yikes:! I discovered the tragedy on the plane and tried to get them to turn the plane around but it was no use. Luckily, my step mom is the nicest woman in the world and, after a panicked call from me, immediately ran over to the post office and overnighted it to me, so I should have it by noon tomorrow, just in time for my workout. Whew! :stress:

Meg: I totally understand the need for coffee :coffee2: but you know those coffee makers in the hotel room are filthy! They never clean them. And if the cups aren't wrapped in plastic, you don't want to be drinking out of them. :p Ick--you are much better off with the $3 cup of coffee.

Meg, I MISS my coffee. Ok, I'm not abstaining completely, but this mostly decaf nonsense is just brutal. All of the heartburn, none of the fun. Just when I'm so fatigued out of my mind that a good healthy dose of caffeine would do me so much mental good. And, horror of horrors, I need to keep it to these anemic levels for as long as I breastfeed. Sob.

Oh yeah, let's see. 70 days until EDD. Not that you asked. Not that I'm counting. Who are we kidding? I'm soooo counting.

Hi joy/Lisa. Happy birthday to your DD!

Robin, I'm about 30 lbs above my red line. For good reason of course, but ack. It looks pink from this distance.

Welcome back Elisa!

Baff, I'm so proud of you still being a non-smoker. I know it is so hard. Sounds like your body has settled into it too.

Hi bargoo!

LisaMarie, I think it is your turn to email.

sznn, I hope you mend fast so you can get back to it. Enforced rest is no fun.

Jessica, I vote for the stuffed shells. Maybe you can mix in some shredded zucchini to the ricotta to thin it out a bit more, and freeze the extras. Mmm, now I'm hungry.

Allison, I'm so glad your back is better.

Lily, I must admit I'm always a little afraid to read your posts. Seems like something bad is always going on. But not today, one week on plan--woo hoo!

Barbara, sorry about the friendship bread. How often do you visit? In the grand scheme of things, it is probably just a blip, and sounds like you are taking care of it. Glad you are getting your iPod back.

Hi everybody else.

Long day today for me. It was a busy day at work, which was actually sort of nice for a change. I got to do some actual math, which is always fun. Too much time doing paperwork lately. DD was reasonably well-behaved and DH helped with the dishes after supper. The Boy is beating me silly today. He has discovered my ribs.

I have been reading the Omnivore's Dilemma lately after so many people here have been talking about it. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Anne

MEG ~When I go out of town for work I always take my coffee maker and coffee with me! Even if the places I stay in have a coffee maker...there is always ONLY ONE regular coffee packet...now how in the heck am I supposed to function on one packet...4oz. of coffee?

are they serious?

Hello everyone!
I'm still trying to keep everyone straight and get to know you all.
Question for you all-- what is your red line? Is that the weight you don't want to go over?

I had a pretty good weekend but we went out to dinner Saturday and Sunday nights. I made good choices both times but my weight was still up a little.

I'm still trying to figure out this maintenance stuff to see what I need to do to maintain. I was down at WW by .8 pound but up the week before. I seem to be up a bit for a week or two and then down for a week or two. I think I still want to lose a few pounds but maybe not.

I have an issue with Spring/Summer clothes though. I have none that will fit! I have bought some new clothes but they aren't going to work when it gets warm. Dh and I looked at college expenses this weekend and our upcoming summer plans and he told me not to spend any more money! I agree that we have no extra money, but I have no clothes!

Hope everyone has a great week! I've got to go find pictures for my dd's 8th grade graduation party and work on our summer plans and college financial situation....

Michele

hi maintainers,

Meg - I'm with you on the coffee issue. I actually always take instant esspresso with me on travel. And since I always drink my first cup in bed, I absolutely hate the american hotels without coffemakers or water boilers. I definitely do NOT want to go get coffee in the lobby at 5.45, and often it is not even there and tastes like dishwahing water. On the other hand, in the far east they do have hot water thermoses and sometimes even coffee makers, but then they only give you one packet of coffee, ar a bunch of gourmet coffeestuf that includes juck like sugar, milk,caramel hazrlnut vanilla essences. YUCK! I only want coffee, like a double esspresso, straight caffeine,no milk, no sugar, no nothing and I need it, esprecially in the dead of morning in a strange room. Now can you tell why I have an espresso machine on the windowsill of my bedroom ?

Anne - Below 70 today!!! Not that you are counting. Yay on a day of refreshing mathematics. Don't you feel that your brain is going woozy from the hormones??? I was practically brainless in the last 3 months of pregnancy and some months after giving birth. Luckily my neurons fired up again after some time (or so I think. I measured it with puzzles, but who knows ? i might have missed some aspect!). Why are you off caffeine if you breastfeed? Is it some sort of maternal issue or is it supposed to be bad for the baby ?

Lily - Yay ! One week without disasters! Good luck with the laminate. it must be marvellous to see your house improve. please do not overdo it now you are going Ok again.

Pretty calm week so far on this side. I did NRWL yesterday, and a powerclass, and took in 30 mins on the threadmill. I am still way over my red line, and not loosing anything, but at least my pants are loose. I am actually up 2 punds since last week. Also, my joints are painfull so I do suspect water retention.

Have a great day all,
Rabbit

Good Morning. I'm in the middle of the 'great bedroom move of 2008'. It's very dark and scary behind my kids' dressers.

Anne&LisaMarie-hang in there. The finish line is closer. Oh, confession time, I drink coffee like a madwoman and the little guys never seem bothered. I'm having coffee right now while BF. I'm probably raising the next generation of coffee addicts, LOL.

EZ-Yep, that one little pot of coffee just ate gonna cut it. And dh actually expects me to share too. The nerve.

Lily-I hate removing carpet. Tackboard is an invention of the devil.

Jessica- Freeze the ricotta for later use in a cooked product. I freeze it all the time.

Gary, just wait until you get pregnant and then have to function on insufficient coffee! Wait, that doesn't work does it!? :LOL: See what a state I'm in?

Rabbit, brainless pretty much describes it. I mostly attribute it to lack of sleep and insufficient caffeine. (The hormones, on the other hand make me irritable or maybe IRRITABLE and send me into cleaning fits.) Caffeine is expressed in breastmilk, and if you get it, so will your baby. I don't think normal levels are especially harmful to otherwise healthy children, but it will stimulate them, and having experienced one colicky baby already, anything that makes a baby awake and screaming is not a good thing. Then again, maybe the boy will be more mellow than DD, and I'll get a nice, full strength cup once in a while, without paying a huge price in sanity and sleep. Like joy/Lisa!

Anne

Michelle~I saw the photos of your dogs in Gary's virtual 5k thread. Your Great Dane has a very Labbish face--very cute!

Anne~I learned the HARD way that caffeine is expressed in breast milk. Who knew that those M&M's my Mom put out in the candy dish had THAT MUCH caffeine! After a week of DS being unable to sleep at night I finally put 2 and 2 together and cut out the chocolate and VOILA! he slept. Actually it was probably a good thing--I'm sure my eating all that chocolate wasn't going to help me lose the pregnancy weight.

I had a very nice run this morning after having my friends over for pizza and basketball last night. Darn her, she brought chocolate cake and of course I indulged. The scale was up this morning. I did really good and had only two small slices of pizza and lots of salad, though. Hopefully the scale will return to yesterday's weight tomorrow.

Hi everyone,

Anne, sorry my posts are so scary and dreary . Right now everything is much better though. I feel good for a change.

Lisa, yes, tackboard is the invention of the devil. It took me 6 hours of prying to get that stuff off my hallway and front entryway and 2 closets. But, I did it!

Last night I walked Molly for 1 mile. This morning I walked Lucy for 1 mile. So, getting some exercise again. The dogs really appreciated the walks.

I'm still 100% on plan with my eating. This morning I put on my new capris that I had bought for my birthday. I didn't try them on at the store. They are very loose and comfy. That feels great. I'm sticking to my plan of weighing every Saturday morning, but from the feel of my clothes, I can tell my weight is probably decreasing even more. My muffin top has receded which is a huge plus.

Lacy is sticking to 1500 cal's a day and is doing very well. She is writing everything down too. The only problem she has, the 1500 cal's doesn't seem to keep her full, while mine seems to keep me full. I wonder if she needs a little bit more? The weird thing is, she won't hardly eat cooked veggies. But, she is loving the trays of fresh raw veggies that I made for us to snack on.

Hi Lily,

Glad to hear you are doing OK

About Lacy: it is quite possible that she needs more food than you do because a) she is a growing girl so she might need more fuel for that, and
b) she is still very young (15 ?) and has a much higher metabolism even when she is not growing.
My DS of 16 also eats a whole lot, but he is growing and burning it all off as well.

About the cooked veggies: DS and DD only eat cooked sweet corn and string beans. DD even eats the beans raw. They do not like cooked vegetables, but are happy to munch on raw ones. No problem IMO, except that if DD eats too much of fruits and raw veggies, and not enough carbs, she gets a stomach ache.

Good for you to make the veggie trays for you to snack on!

Allinell, Anne - I must be the lucky one here! My kids tolerated coffee and wine pretty well...the only "problem" was that they were lactose intolerant. Since the hospital where DS was born "helped" him along with a lactose laced bottle, he did not get the hang of nursing for the first week. I was very annoyed with the hospital because the first time they brought him to me to feed, they had already given him a bottle and when they put him to me he was already so full that milk came out of his mouth. After a week he was very thin and actually screamed violently when the bottle came. Luckily I remembered my kids sisters being diagnosed with lactose intolerance, and I changed his formula, and he learned to breast feed afterwards. Giving up milk myself was no problem because I am also lactose intolerant, and me using yoghurt was no problem.

have a great day all,
rabbit

Another disappointed entry--sorry!
 

Well, I'm 4 days into my meds for my cold. Yesterday, I scale went up 5 lbs (gulp!) I know I'm eating on plan, so I'm going to continue to believe, but I haven't seen this number on the scale for over 3 months, so it's hard to keep fighting the good fight. I mean, I could enjoy some fabulous "cheating" and gain 5 lbs honestly. I just have to believe that it's water weight. I am definitely eating on plan and continue to exercise though I must admit I'm not exercising as much as I once did. I'll restart that morning commitment to exercise next week when I'll be almost done with the 10 days of meds. Does anyone know--does amoxycillin tend to make you retain water?
Sorry to be such a downer. I don't want to make any dramatic changes in my eating--to lose weight--until I get off this med as I am just too connected to the foods I love and can have in my plan. What would others advise? Stay the course or cut back?

Thanks! Your labs are adorable too. What are their names? There were two of the sweetest labs at the dog park the last time we went. They were very blonde-- almost white. They were smiling and sooo sweet!

I agree about Lacy. Maybe she isn't getting enough calories? However, if she is happy eating raw veggies I would let her keep eating them to fill her up. Is she drinking her water? That will help too. Also, how active is she? My dd (17) is fairly inactive and needs to limit her calories somewhat (we do WW so we don't count calories). She is going back to horseback riding several times a week so I'm hoping the increase in activity will help her.

Hi everyone,

I dodged the bullet last night cause both Lacy and Shelbey begged me to take them to the local Tuesday night pizza buffet. I explained that I already had dinner thawed out and cooked grilled chicken breasts, brown rice and green beans sauteed in olive oil and garlic. After we had dinner, Lacy thanked me for being strong and refusing the pizza pigout. She is really trying to stick to plan, but with Shelbey not "dieting", it makes it harder on Lacy.

rabbitt, Lacy has decided to stick to 1500 cal's a day til Monday and if she isn't adjusting better to it by then she will increase to 1600. It may be that she needs a little more, or it may be that this is such a dramatic decrease in what she usually eats that it takes some time for adjustment. I am very glad to see her snacking on oranges, apples and raw veggies instead of pop-tarts, buttered popcorn and potato chips. In fact there is no junk food in our house and I plan to keep it this way.

goal, I would personally wait it out til you are off the antibiotics. I know my own weight recently went completely haywire while I was sick. Now everything is back to where I was before the huge gain. If you are eating as you previously had, it's not a gain of fat, but of water. I know it's still hard to see the scale up but it will go back down.

Michele, Since Lacy got sick with the flu a few weeks ago, we haven't been to the gym. She is normally very inactive but had gotten to where she would workout at the gym with me 5 times a week. We plan to be back at the gym by Monday now that both of us are feeling better. She is drinking several bottles of water a day.

DH is at traffic court this morning for a speeding ticket he received about 2 weeks ago. I've told him a million times to slow down, but he didn't listen. Mainly it hurt his pride because he thought since he had been a trooper for so long that he was exempt from getting a ticket. I just hope my insurance rates don't soar and I hope he learns his lesson!

Plans for my evening will be to cook a healthy dinner and DH and I to work our butts off laying new floor in the hallway.

Good afternoon everybody. Today is gray and chilly again. Argh! The nice weather the last few days made it much easier to be active-we walked, went to the park, I picked up the yard, etc. I need to clean closets but I doubt that's a really intense calorie burner, unless my frustration burns calories. As to the veggies, my family will only eat them cooked. ~sigh~ it would be much easier if they liked them raw.

Lily-I'm glad you were 'strong' for the girls. I, personally, would starve on 1500 calories unless I carefully planned everything to be very high fiber.

goalsuccess-hope the cold is better soon

rabbit-I was very lucky that nothing ever bothered my kids. The only thing I ever did that bothered them was eat a half jar of jalapeno's. It didn't bother their stomach but it sure made their diaper area red. Ooops, didn't do that again.

michelle~my dogs are Buddy (14 year old yellow lab) and Chico (3 year old black lab). Chico's my best buddy as he runs with me several times a week.

lily~I imagine it would be difficult for Lacy because Shelby isn't dieting as well. I'm glad she goes to the gym with you--I wish my DD would go with me (cuz I know my DH won't go). Good for you to stick to your guns about dinner!

Here I thought I was doing so well, the scale was down this weekend, but for some reason it's back up again. Not quite as high as it was, but I've been quite OP this week. I guess I need to tweak it some.

Hi everyone! It's official, spring has arrived! We have crocuses and daffodils blooming, there are teeny leaves on some of our shrubs, and there are pansies everywhere. Our peas have sprouted, and so has the lettuce and the pak choi. We've had a bit of a problem with bunnies though -- a rabbit came through and ate an entire tulip plant!! DH has been spraying all the plants with a hot pepper mixture to deter them. We planted two raspberry plants and he thinks the bunnies chewed them up too.

The only problem with all this is that it's supposed to snow Sunday. :( Hopefully they will change the forecast and it won't actually get that cold!

Lily - maybe Lacy needs some more protein-rich snacks too, like string cheese? Or something with more fiber, although fruits and veggies have it, but I mean more like oatmeal or bran or something. I'm glad you two are feeling better!

Thanks for the advice on the ricotta, everyone! After talking it over with DH I think we're going to make a really big lasagna (with extra veggies) and then freeze it.

My weight has finally settled down from my weekend blip. I'm back to 137.8 this morning. I'm kind of disappointed because I was really hoping to see 136 soon, but I guess it will just take time. At least my clothes are fitting pretty well, and I feel like I could fit into any of my skirts now. I'm guessing the lack of weight loss is partially related to the recumbent bike and partially related to the fact that I've been coming in at 1500-1600 cals lately instead of 1300-1400.

Here's a question for you guys. I went to my local farmer's market last weekend, where they had a person from the Weston Price Foundation. I talked with her a while and picked up a bunch of their brochures. What I'm trying to figure out is if their nutrition ideas are at all valid, or if it's completely fake. Basically they say you should include fermented foods in your diet more (tempeh, yogurt, and a variety of others they were selling at the market), and that you should avoid all processed foods. But they go a step farther than avoiding processed foods - they say you should eat a lot more fat from animal products, and avoid anything low-fat. You should eat monounsaturated fats, but not polyunsaturated fats. You can use "natural" sweeteners like honey and maple sugar, but not regular granulated sugar. The list goes on and on, and has some wacky stuff on it, but I'm really curious how much of this is scientifically motivated and how much is junk.

Jessica~I think I've heard that if you add dish washing liquid to whatever you spray on your plants it helps. I think it makes the stuff stick to the leaves a bit more and it is rather bitter in and of itself, so it deters the little munchers. WE had quite a problem with bunnies our first year--they have voracious appetites! Nowadays, they tend to just eat our grass which is just fine by me!

I don't take a coffeemaker, but I take coffee, filters, and my sweetener. 1 little pot can fill my travel mug, and another can fill whoever's traveling with me. And they are always so happy I remember to bring real coffee. How could I forget something so important?

Right after I posted Saturday, a big storm came through and knocked power out at my office for hours. I went home, came back Sunday to work, and the data server, internet, everything was down. The storm blew out some switch along the line and it was finally fixed this morning. So I haven't been able to do any work on my big project (my data files are so big that they're all on the server) and am even more behind. Ahhhhhh!!! I will be here all weekend.

Right now in my garden I have a huge population of pill bugs. They aren't terrible, but are definitely eating a few of my sprouting veggies. I'm trying to find a natural control/deterrent. Anyone know of one?

I made a delicious salmon florentine last night that had ricotta mixed in with the spinach topping. I've also read some high-protein turkey meatball recipes with ricotta in them. I bought ricotta to make BF lasagna for his b-day this weekend. He hates sweets (yeah....... he's weird) so for his b-day dinner every year I make his favorite, lasagna.

Jessica, congrats on fitting in the skirt! That is awesome!!!

Lily, I'm glad that you're feeling so much better. Good for you for not giving into the pizza.

Michele, do you have a decent thrift store nearby? You could probably get at least a few decent summer pieces inexpensively.

Hi to everyone else! I've gotta get back to work. Ah, woe is me. :p

According to what I've seen, keep the humidity down and use diatomaceous earth to deter them. Usually they aren't a problem to gardens (unless of course you have new seedlings coming up--they like to eat those as well as dead vegetation).

Lily-- I have the same situation as you with your daughters. My younger dd (13) has no weight issues and is constantly complaining about what we eat. She is always telling me how her clothes are too big and falling off of her-- grrrrr..... I know it really bothers my older dd that her sister is a "stick". My mom was 5'7" and weighed between 95-105 pounds her whole life-- she could never keep a pound on no matter what she ate. I don't know why none of us inherited those genes! At least my younger dd doesn't have a weight issue but she isn't that thin.

Megan--I need to check into thrift/consignment stores. Thanks for the suggestion.

So these days I'm trying out calorie cycling, but not on purpose! I'm out of town quite a few days in April, where I tend to splurge :o, and then I'm very careful when I'm home so...calorie cycling it is! It's actually working okay today. If I go away, I avoid the scale for a few days to try to drop at least any water weight from what I imagine is a lot of sodium (among other things). Today I was thrilled to be below my red line!! :carrot: I'm trying to maintain through April and focus on possible losing a couple more pounds.

I'm jealous of all the gardeners out there! We've had some great weather here for a few days and I do see my tulips just breaking through, but otherwise that's it. :( What I really need to do is get out there and do some spring cleaning...the yard is a mess really!

Megan - great idea to bring the coffee and filters! I don't think my DH would really be thrilled with my bringing a coffeemaker on our trips but good coffee would make all the difference. Until now I have never even used those coffeemakers...I'm happy to go out for my morning coffee.

I hope everyone is having some nice spring weather and is able to get out and enjoy it.

:D

Hi ladies, my son called home from the Army base in Wisconsin this morning. They let all the soldiers call home to check on family after the massive storms we had last night. We are all fine, but there were several tornadoes that touched down within about 20 miles of us. The schools and many public buildings are closed within about a 100 mile radius of us due to wind/tree/hail damage with broken windows everywhere. I hope our good luck holds out as we are under tornado warnings again for this afternoon. With 60 MPH winds again, I pray my new roof doesn't blow off. I have left my hallway set up as our "safe place" for now with blankets, pillows, flashlight, lighter, candles and radio all accessible for us.

My sleep was miserable last night with the tornado sirens blarin and Molly smashed up against me in bed. Lucy got on the foot of the bed and everytime I tried to move my legs, she licked my feet. LOL.

I had an 1800 calorie day yesterday, so went over my limit. Will try to do much better today. The increase was because DH wanted to eat Mexican food at his favorite restaurant yesterday. I felt decent that I stuck to grilled chicken, rice and beans and left about 1/3rd of my food on my plate. I didn't touch the big basket of fresh tortilla chips or queso, that's an improvement for me. After the calorie high lunch I wanted to skip dinner, but was hungrier than ever. So instead went ahead and ate my low calorie dinner just like I normally would have.

We didn't get to start on the new hallway floor last night because the electricity kept going off. I did buy enough wood laminate yesterday for the hallway and computer room so hopefully we can work on it tonite.

Jessica, I'm noticing several rabbits in my yard again too. I haven't even got my garden planted yet. I'm still waiting on DH to till my ground. I can't gripe though cause every time he has his week off, I'm keeping him very busy with the inside remodeling.

Michele, I wish we all had those skinny genes here, but we don't. Shelbey is definitely more overweight than Lacy, but Lacy cares and Shelbey doesn't. (well I know it bothers her, but not enough yet to do anything about it). Even Lacy's get healthy attempts are usually short-lived. Shelbey's biggest problem is that she absolutely won't give up drinking an enormous amount of regular Dr. Pepper. I know that she drinks enough of this daily to ever keep from losing a single pound.

Lily - I hope the tornadoes don't come too close! When I told my parents I was moving to Indiana they were terrified I'd get killed in a tornado. I pointed out to them that they have a better chance of being killed in a major earthquake, because at least you can know that a tornado is coming! LOL about your dogs, that is too cute.

No skinny genes in my family either. It's been a struggle for me, and my mom has struggled with her weight too. My dad is very overweight, and he'll complain about it sometimes, but he refuses to exercise or change his eating habits. I'm kind of excited because my sister decided that she is going to lose some weight (she had gained a lot with law school and the stress of the bar exams), and her girlfriend is going to do it with her, so I think she has enough support to actually do it. She's good about exercise and is reasonably fit, so it is more about eating habits for her. I sent her links to my favorite cooking light recipes and a recommendation for mindless eating (the book), since she had asked for some advice. I wish we could do it together or I could provide support in person, but she lives in NYC. :( I'm hoping to take a trip out there sometime this summer.

In other news, our fence will be installed soon! They called me yesterday and said they're expecting our parts to arrive any day, so they want to go ahead and get started with setting up for installation and installing the posts. I'm guessing some day soon we'll come home to those little utility line marker flags all over our lawn. And you know what the fence means . . . we can get a dog!!! I'm so excited! DH is kind of freaking out about the responsibility though. We agreed that if we can't handle the responsibility of taking care of a dog, then we won't have children. ;)

Jessica, Lucy hops in my bed everynight cause she thinks it is her bed too. LOL. Molly only jumps up there when it storms. She is scared to death of storms. Then she gets right up on the pillows and as close to me as possible. There just is no comparison to having hyperventilating dog breath in your face all night. LOL.

People are always amazed that I've lived in OK all my life and never actually saw a tornado! This is definitely tornado country. I'd be even more afraid of an earthquake. I visited California after I graduated from high school. There was a small "tremble" when I was there and it scared me tremendously. I guess it's whatever you get used to. From my experience, this little town is very generous with using the tornado sirens.LOL.

:lol:, we get up to five cats in bed with us at night. It would be OK except for the one who likes to loudly purr and wash herself while sleeping in between our heads. :dizzy:

It's spring here! It just lifts my spirits to look out at sunshine and daffodils (that, and finishing my taxes lifts my spirits too!) I'm swapping out winter clothes for summer and trying to find a place to put everything. I would kill for one of those fantastic walk-in closets like new houses have these days. Lily, will you come build one for me? :lol:

I'm down 4.6 pounds since Monday, so everything I gained in Florida was water weight. :carrot: It seems like if I buckle down and get it off right away, it doesn't "stick", but if I screw around, the fat beds down and doesn't want to leave. So my lesson is to get it off ASAP, not "tomorrow".

Robin, I have to thank you for the frozen banana idea. Oh my gosh, that's the best dessert ever! I sliced mine in one inch circles and can just pop a few and it's like those little Dove ice cream mini-thingies. :T

Lily, I think that 1800 calories on day with Mexican food is really good! You could easily have eaten triple that number if you hadn't been paying attention. :fr:

Goal, don't change anything that you're doing! No way have you gained five pounds of fat. Antibiotics as well as anti-inflammatories cause me to gain weight, so I'm sure that's what's going on with you. I know how easy it is to be freaked out by the scale, but you watch -- your weight will go right back to normal as soon as you're done with meds. :hug:

Anne, there's hope! My first was DD, an extremely high maintenance child who never slept and would only let herself be held by me. DS came along and was totally different -- he took naps! He was mellow and easy going! It all worked out. :D (I'm not going to talk to you about teenage years though!)
You're in the 60s now -- practically the home stretch!

:wave: to everyone else! Is everyone going to do Gary's 5K this weekend?

Meg, my house doesn't have huge closets either. Hmmm, maybe should be added to my list of remodeling projects. When I was obese, I didn't have that many different outfits. Now I need oodles of more closet space cause my wardrobe keeps growing and thankfully my size is staying pretty much the same. I LOVE clothes now!

That is for sure about the 1800 cal's yesterday. I'm not gonna beat myself up over it. I could have done tons worse.

My collarbones and hipbones are really sticking out and I'm beginning to feel really "thin" again. Life is Good. I had felt sick and bloated and fat for about 2 months so this is a great feeling!

Meg, we have one cat. He only wants to lay right by my face and purr loudly. Drives me nuts, but DH loves the loud purr in his face.

I'm a little jealous that everyone else here is getting vacations. My "vacation" money is being spent remodeling my home. We are planning to take the girls to Branson, Missouri for a 4 day trip in June just for a small vacation.

My MIL has now asked when we can come over and "gut" her kitchen so she can have all new cabinets, appliances and such put in. Acckk, she also wants us to lay wood flooring for her. I don't know when we'll find the time cause we are very busy with our own home.

Hi everyone,

This week feels like it's flying by. I guess it's because I've been so busy! I've been making sure to get enough sleep, though, and stay on my April NANS plan. My "fat pants" (I got rid of my true fat pants, but these are my fat pants for maintenance) are feeling loose. I finished stage 3 of NRLW yesterday so I'm going to give weights a rest for a week before I start the next stage. I really feel it tightening everything.

No skinny genes in my family either. My immediate family has always struggled with weight. My mom's family is all quite large. My dad has two tall and lanky brothers. He didn't get those genes. I feel bad for my mom - I know I've mentioned that she is on weight watchers again and has been doing quite well, but she says my dad (who is on his heavier side right now, and not trying to do anything about it) is getting tired of her wanting to eat ww-friendly all the time. I'm trying to be as supportive as I can from so far away.

Lily, watch out for those tornadoes! My area could actually benefit from tornado sirens. I always find out after the fact that there was a water spout or tornado a few miles away. I got a storm radio for Christmas, that will help. That front will hit me on Saturday, and I'm hoping it doesn't knock out power again since once again I'll be at my office :p.

Meg, I love how you say if you don't take care of it the fat "beds down", lol. It is definitely as you describe it - the same amount of weight can take a few days to leave if you do something immediately, and weeks if you don't! Crazy bodies.

Jessica, yay for dogs! Be sure to post a picture when you get one.

Allison, yup, it's my bean plants that they love just as they're sprouting. I will have to look for the diatomaceous earth at the hardware store.

Have a great Thursday all!

Meg~finishing your taxes lifts your spirits? Not so much here! I got an email from the CPA--we're filing an extension and have to pay estimated taxes ON TOP of the quarterly estimated taxes we've been paying all year. I hate taxes! Right now I'm at my wits end trying to figure out how to pay the taxes, the vendors and the overhead bills. Not the fun part of being a business owner!